TV in Your Pocket: the first round of tests successfully completed

• In autumn, T-Mobile will start pilot operation in Prague
• Commercial operation is planned to be launched in 2007

Prague, 21 June 2006 - The "TV in Your Pocket" project, introduced by T-Mobile in cooperation with Radiokomunikace at the INVEX trade fair last year, has successfully undergone initial testing. Last week, trial broadcasting of "mobile TV" in the DVB-H format took place in Prague. The trial operation consisted of broadcasting a total of five channels. Before commercial operation is officially started, pilot operation will be launched in Prague this autumn.

"Since we were awarded the Crystal Disk at INVEX, we have been far from resting on our laurels. Now that we have successfully completed the first round of tests, we are already working hard to prepare for the next round in autumn," says Jiøí Dvorjancansky, Executive Vice President Marketing at T-Mobile. "We would like to offer this service to customers next year," he adds.

Last week, another phase of the project was successfully completed. It consisted of trial operation, testing of new terminals (Motorola) and preparation of new functionalities of the service. Based on a short-term licence and authorization to utilize the frequency spectrum, "TV in Your Pocket" was presented to representatives of regulatory authorities.

The pilot operation will take place in autumn this year. This should be the final testing before the service is launched on a commercial basis. "Mobile TV" is to e officially included in T-Mobile's offer in 2007.

The partners of the project include Radiokomunikace (broadcasting network), Czech TV and Prima TV (content provision), Siemens (central server), Nagravision and Gemalto (formerly Gemplus; security solution for access to the service) and Motorola (supplier of terminals).

"When testing DVB-H, we took advantage of our broad experience in the operation of digital TV broadcasting. Although 'mobile TV' is much more complex as far as coverage is concerned, we managed to perform the task in quite a short time," says Martin Roztocil, Head of Broadcasting Services at Radiokomunikace. Despite six years of experience in DVB-T broadcasting, the DVB-H testing was not a routine matter for Radiokomunikace since "mobile TV" requires much denser coverage for a significantly lower data flow.

T-Mobile has opted for the DVB-H technology, which offers the best parameters for transmission of multimedia content. The enormous interest of major mobile operators, who are currently testing this standard for transmission of TV and other content, proves that it was a good choice. The DVB-H technology is a part of the digital broadcasting development concept prepared by the Ministry of Information Technologies. Also, the Czech Telecommunications Office is planning to prepare a set of frequencies for the DVB-H network in the near future.

One of the conditions for successful implementation of the service is high-quality TV signal coverage, including coverage inside buildings. As for the use of the frequency spectrum, experts say that it would be ideal to have a separate multiplex for DVB-H, which will be shared by all operators.

DVB-H (Digital Video Broadcasting - Transmission System of Handheld Terminals - "Handheld") is a system for mobile reception of terrestrial digital broadcasting. The signal can be received via special receivers or mobile phones, PDAs or pocket computers.  DVB-H (formerly also designated as DVB-M or DVB-X) is based on the DVB-T standard (Digital Video Broadcasting - Terrestrial), though it was originally also used for mobile telecommunications services (i.e. GSM, UMTS). Thanks to the system currently used, DVB-H now allows significantly better signal reception also in relatively unfavourable conditions (e.g. inside buildings, in transit, etc.). A suitable image resolution for the mobile phone screen is, according to experts, the CIF format with resolution of 352x288 pixels. Transmission of the TV signal will require a capacity of approximately 384kb/s per one program channel. The DVB-H system could use the frequencies of the TV bands normally used in the Czech Republic (III, IV, and V). Another advantage, besides mobility, is the compatibility with the DVB-T system, which will allow the use of a common network infrastructure.

T-Mobile Czech Republic, a member of the international telecommunications group Deutsche Telekom, has almost 6.2 million customers, the number-one operator in the Czech market. T-Mobile is an integrated operator: in addition to telecommunications services, it offers comprehensive ICT solutions not only for companies, but also for other organizations and individuals. It provides outstanding services in the high-speed network, which was proved repeatedly by benchmark testing performed by umlaut (former P3) with Best-in-Test seal.

T-Mobile Czech Republic places emphasis on taking a responsible approach to the environment and society. It adheres to fair business practices, helps beneficial applications and services to see the light of day, supports non-profit organizations, small businesses and individuals, and lends a helping hand whenever crisis situations arise. The company’s employees serve as volunteers in many places across the entire Czech Republic.

More information about the company is available at www.t-mobile.cz, www.t-press.cz (the portal for journalists) and www.t-mobile.cz/pomahame (information on the company’s CSR activities).

Contact details of the press unit: press@t-press.cz.